One hundred ten years ofeditorialfreedom NEWS: 76-DAILY CLASSIFIED: 7640557 www. michigandaily. cam Wednsi February 14 2001 e e . . . I6 1-I 'U newv By Anna Clark Daily Staff Reporter a v housing tion between undergraduates and faculty, and between freshmen and upper-class students," Crowded residence halls have sparked the University's interest in moving forward with the construction of a new hall, the first to be built since 1968. "We obviously have housing needs," Uni- versity Provost Nancy Cantor said yesterday. At tomorrow's monthly meeting at the Lurie Engineering Building on North Campus, the University's Board of Regents is expected to authorize the University to look into the con- struction of the residence hall. Specifically, the University will look into possible architects and site locations before returning to the regents with their recommen- dations. While Cantor said the new residence hall is in the "very early planning stage," she said it fits with the University's initiatives to enhance the undergraduate experience on campus. The increase in living-learning communities and the consideration of technology in the res- idence halls come from the same goals as the new hall, Cantor said. "From my perspective, it's important to increase the academic programs in dorms, to provide more opportunities for casual interac- Cantor said. "The idea is to provide spaces for rich inter- action,"she added. Residence Hall Association President Jason Taylor, an LSA senior, noted other advantaiges available in the construction. "What excites me is that this is a tare opportunity for students and administrators to work together to build a residence hall," Ty- lor said. University Housing Director Alan Levy said it's too early to comment on the new residenice hall. In November, University President I4e Bollinger said one of Vice President for Stu- dent Affairs E. Royster Harper's first respoin- sibilities in her new position would be to look into improvements in residence hall livin. Harper would not comment on the issue of a new hall yesterday. But Bollinger said he recognized this demand for more housing. "It's clear to me that we need at least oro new hall," he said at the time. He added that improvements in the current residence halls, including -innovative program- See REGENTS, Page 9 Members of Students Organizing for Labor and Burkhardt speaks to his fellow workers at a pr support By Jacquelyn Nixon Daily Staff Reporter Chanting "our campus... our buses," more than 50 students, University employees and union members supporting niversity bus drivers gathered yesterday afternoon on the Diag to a beating drum and tambourine. The group said they were angered at the lack of attention the University is giving to the drivers' positions in the current negotiations with the Ann Arbor Trans- portation Authority. Drivers fear the loss of their jobs and foresee a failing bus sys- tem through a partnership with AATA. "You can't expect to have an A-team, nd bring in a C-team to get an A-plus," student bus driver Marisa Arnold said. JEFF HURVITI! aily Economic Equality, the Black Student Union and University bus drivers gather as driver Scott otest yesterday in the Diag. stude ts rally in of bus dri-vers.t Throughout the week, drivers have been collecting petitions and handing out fliers to promote awareness on campus before the University Board of Regents meeting tomorrow. Michael Edwards, the president of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees - the union the drivers belong to - is expected to speak, as well as a student committee. Among many consequences, drivers predict an intensified partnership with AATA will mean longer wait times and changes for students.. "I would hate for the University to be sold out to an inefficient bus system' said Arnold, an LSA freshman. Facilities and Operations spokeswoman Diane Brown said if the University signs a contract with AATA, routes filled by AATA service would be similar to Route 36, which runs along State Street to Wolverine Tower and also to downtown on a frequent cycle. "An hour service or even a half-hour service isn't going to make it," Brown said. "If a particular route has 10-minute ser- vice right now, it won't be feasible for it to go to 15-minute service. They will have to go 10 or less. Administration is very firm on that - it won't work," she said. Some AATA employees attended the University bus driver's rally. "An AATA employee who drives with us saw AATA managers in the crowd about 45 minutes into the rally," he said. "They had seen our fliers and wanted to See BUSES, Page 9 Classes prepare for Shakespeare company visit By=Andrew D. Kim Daily Staff Reporter In a rare appearance, England's Royal Shakespeare Com- pany will be performing at the Power Center in March, and some professors are planning to take full advantage of the group's stint in Ann Arbor. "We don't have to go to New York or England to see Rm," said University renaissance literature Prof. Steven ullaney. During its weeklong visit beginning March 10, the RSC will perform four plays at the Power Center. Scheduled to be performed are "Henry VI" parts one, two and three, and "Richard III." "A lot of people from faculty to students are very excited about this," Mullaney said. "It's a very big deal. You don't get to see these plays frequently." Ann Arbor is the only U.S. city the RSC is expected to perform "Henry VI" and "Richard II1" where during its 2001 tour. ftThe 'Henry VI' plays are seldom produced among Aakespeare's plays," said English Prof. Ralph Williams, who has been working closely with the RSC in the past months. "It's just great to be able to see them." Founded in 1879, The Royal Shakespeare Company, based in the bard's birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, is considered one of the leading Shakespeare companies in the world. Professors like Williams and Mullaney have tailored their classes for the event and have been actively encouraging participation among their students. "I have never taught these plays to undergraduates," Mul- 0ey said, "But because of this opportunity, I designed my classes so we could cover these four plays: ' Many students will experience the RSC for the first time. "I'm actually pretty hyped to see them, said LSA sopho- more Chris Rainwater. "Professor Mullaney presented the material real well and it seemed like a great opportunity." Students who have already seen the RSC perform have winter wieners BENOD NNEIJ V~LL/UDaIy SNRE student Hsiu-Mel Chein looks at photographs of African-American women at the cultural exhibit In the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library yesterday. Museumloo ksat stereotypes on TV By Maria Sprow Daily Staff Reporter Anyone can spend an hour watching televi- sion and flipping through the channels. But some are taking an active role in a normally passive activity, and asserting that the media creates stereotypes of minorities. "The stereotype is whatever the media cre- ates," said LSA junior Amar Mutnal. The issue of stereotypes in the media sprout- ed as part of Black History Month. The Uni- versity chose to confront the history of the debate by exhibiting "A Sense of Justice: A Mass Media Perspective" in the North Lobby of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library throughout this month. The purpose of the exhibit is to "raise awareness of African American depictions through out history," said Julie Herrada, one of the curators in charge of the special collections exhibit and the person responsible for the exhibit. The exhibit features images of blacks taken from the 1700s through the 1960s. The collec- tion was started and maintained by Charles Simmons, a professor at Eastern Michigan University, and depicts slaves before the Revo- lutionary war, black athletes, workers and events which contributed to the civil rights movement. "It explores the misinformation of slave trade before the American Revolution," said Wanda Monroe, public relations representative for the library. While some viewers might not see a connec- tion between the exhibit, which shows distort- ed, clown-like images of blacks, and present-day media images, recent research has See ART, Page 9 BRENDANO'DONNELL/Daily Despite the cold, Steve Goff of Bieners Wieners serves up hot dogs on the comer of North University Avenue and South State Street yesterday. State Street project design nearly complete By James Restivo Daily Staff Reporter The long-awaited State Street area reno- vation project took another step last night when designers presented a proposal that is about "90 percent" complete to Ann Arbor community members at City Hall last night. 44lir-_.. .1,... 4 nr i I ,1_,.. .«. . munity to answer specific concerns," Pol- lay said. The project, which began when the DDA commissioned a study by the Uni- versity, encompasses the areas just west of campus, surrounded by Thayer, William, Division and Washington streets. The goal of the project is to "enhance the vitality through the implementation of A A4 _1 1 n The proposal also emphasized the use of Maynard Street as a "front door" to the area, with increased accessibility due to the reconfiguration of the streets, said Tom Heywood, executive director of the State Street Area Association. An argument at last night's meeting against the new proposal was the lack of bike lanes. Ken Clark, chair of the city's orities are the potential to get more cyclists." Due to regulations, the required space taken for a bike-lane would be seven feet, which designers from the architect group Pollack Design Associates, who were commissioned for the design, said would be impossible in light of other concerns. "Ann Arbor is a historic town and the